Samsung & HARMAN One Year Later: Driving Connectivity Forward

One year ago, my company, HARMAN — a global tech leader focused on connected products for cars, consumers and enterprises — joined forces with Samsung to create a more connected world. It’s a natural partnership, and it’s been immensely gratifying to see our 3,000 U.S. employees working hand-in-hand to bring incredible innovations to fruition.

HARMAN’s deep roots in the automotive industry coupled with Samsung’s scale, global platform and consumer electronics prowess provide the know-how and power to accelerate the connected car movement. Together, we are providing the full spectrum of automotive technologies, including audio and video products, as well as the hardware and software solutions needed to power next-generation automotive systems.

In the past year, we’ve made amazing strides to bring us closer to the transportation of the future than ever before. For instance, Samsung has been paving the way for 5G for many years, leveraging its deep expertise in networks, chips and hardware solutions. Combined with HARMAN’S automotive knowledge, we are positioned to be one of the first companies prepared to integrate 5G into the connected car. That’s why one of the first initiatives we launched as partners was a Strategic Business Unit dedicated to developing key technologies for safer, smarter, connected cars.

Safety, of course, is a top priority for us as we work towards a tech-forward but consumer-friendly and secure product offering. For example, at CES this year, we debuted the industry’s first 5G-ready telematics platform that allows cars to communicate directly with objects outside the vehicle such as traffic lights and other cars. The platform works effectively because of Samsung’s 5G solution working hand in hand with HARMAN’s expertise in making automotive grade systems and our industry-leading Over-The-Air (OTA) and cyber security solutions.

Also at CES, we launched the connected cockpit dashboard which converts the traditional dash of a car into a customizable, seamless instrument panel providing infotainment and IoT services across multiple displays. HARMAN’s engineering streamlines the disparate operating systems within a car, and coupled with Samsung’s consumer tech and sleek product design, we’ve created a beautiful, functional and scalable experience for drivers and passengers.

Likewise, at Mobile World Congress, HARMAN and Samsung announced that we will build and provide complete, secure, end-to-end solutions using the Samsung ARTIK Smart IoT platform for areas such as manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, smart homes and smart buildings. We also recently have announced an engineering partnership with Samsung SmartThings, the industry leader for consumer IoT technology and the easiest way for people to turn any traditional home into a smart home with interoperating sensors, smart devices and a native mobile application. With the help of HARMAN’s Connected Services software development team, based in Mountain View, California, this will accelerate SmartThings product and app development. In HARMAN’s Professional Solutions business, headquartered in Northridge, California, we are bringing the best of video and audio together for the ultimate cinematic experience. And in consumer electronics, we are bundling HARMAN’s AKG offerings with Samsung’s mobile devices. Indeed, we have a unique opportunity to bring Harman’s best in class audio expertise and Samsung’s leading edge video capabilities together to leave the competition behind in all segments.

While we’re accelerating our own product development, we’re also helping lead the industry through our partnership with 5GAA, a global consortium that unites carriers, chip manufacturers, automakers and suppliers into one collaborative cohort. Developed with the belief that if we want to solve this massive puzzle, it’s going to take everyone working together to solve such complex and timely issues; and we couldn’t agree more.

Looking across the strides we’ve made over our first year together, the Samsung-HARMAN mission is only accelerating as we seek to move beyond device-centric thinking to user-centric design — creating simple, more intuitive and seamless connected experiences for consumers.

It’s so exciting to be working on such bold new innovations to improve the way we live — and to know that our journey has just begun!